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Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

gothamist.com

291–300 of 319 posts

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't accept or condone theft. That's an extreme position. But I do try to understand the way our flawed world works, instead of just wishing that people would see things the same way I do.

Did it really increase your understanding if you just learned about an issue (TSA-abetted phone thefts) and chose a "common sense" reason for that issue (low wages) seemingly without any actual effort? I'm glad you don't condone theft, and even that you seek to understand the world, but I don't think that you've increased your understanding of the world in this case.

Please enlighten me - what is the actual explanation that will increase my understanding?

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#292
post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's probably best not to declare war upon China in writing. Instead, ask how many students died in the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. That specific phrase should specifically auto-alert the censors to a known forbidden topic, without resorting to threats against China. How long of a lost phone message can one set, anyways?

> It's probably best not to declare war upon China in writing Why not? Is the Chinese government going to send some people to Canada to disappear me?

No, that’s just India

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#293
post #224
post #204

Makes me wish we could do proper punishment adjustment, taking into account the percentage of criminals punished, using this app. Let's say punishment X would deter phone theft. Now take the phones stolen, and how many are recovered with criminals punished, 1 in N. To actually deter theft, the punishment needs to be X*N; I'm pretty sure for realistic X (e.g. 6 months in jail?) and N (huge), the proper punishment is d…

Easy now Rorschach, would you really want to live in a society like this? I could imagine finding out my cousin got murdered because he didn’t realize he was selling old iPhones that were stolen with a plan like this. This is comic book levels of absurdity and extremism.

Yeah, you could imagine all kinds of scenarios. We do have beyond reasonable doubt standard for punishment, so it's just that - fantasy; or rather, a gotcha that is simply an worthwhile tradeoff. The "absolute" values that do not recognize tradeoffs is what's, pretty much by definition, extremist.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#294
post #204

Makes me wish we could do proper punishment adjustment, taking into account the percentage of criminals punished, using this app. Let's say punishment X would deter phone theft. Now take the phones stolen, and how many are recovered with criminals punished, 1 in N. To actually deter theft, the punishment needs to be X*N; I'm pretty sure for realistic X (e.g. 6 months in jail?) and N (huge), the proper punishment is d…

Just because cruel and unusual punishment would be an efficient-in-some-regards way to approach punishment doesn’t mean it’s a humane approach. Humane is top priority. Punishments should be commensurate to the crime committed - with under-punishment always preferable to over-punishment.

Why is humane "under-punishment always preferable to over-punishment" top priority? You can construct a mathematically absurd example - e.g. if we under-punish a psychopathic attempted murderer and he gets an opportunity to actually murder, we've done strictly more harm than if we over-punish an execute him.

But even in regular case, why should we be humane to someone who refuses to be humane to others? I don't get this logic at all.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#295
post #204

Makes me wish we could do proper punishment adjustment, taking into account the percentage of criminals punished, using this app. Let's say punishment X would deter phone theft. Now take the phones stolen, and how many are recovered with criminals punished, 1 in N. To actually deter theft, the punishment needs to be X*N; I'm pretty sure for realistic X (e.g. 6 months in jail?) and N (huge), the proper punishment is d…

The fact that people like you exist is far more damaging for the world than phone thieves.

I can only respond with an echo: "The fact that people like you exist is far more damaging for the world than phone thieves."

Unreserved compassion is by far the most harmful atavisms of human evolution. More evil, even, than tribalism and tall-poppy syndrome. The combination with the latter, in a sense of being reluctant to punch down, produces the likes of you - active fellow-travelers to psychopaths. The logical result is either societal collapse or someone like Duterte or Bukele restoring order. I think it's much better to have the right amount of retributive justice to being with.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#296
post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a well known tactic to do to Chinese scammers or any person you don't want to talk to that is in China or has to go back to China.

aka "I read it online"?

Can’t hurt to try anyway. You lose nothing, but can get some laughs.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#297
post #224
post #204

Makes me wish we could do proper punishment adjustment, taking into account the percentage of criminals punished, using this app. Let's say punishment X would deter phone theft. Now take the phones stolen, and how many are recovered with criminals punished, 1 in N. To actually deter theft, the punishment needs to be X*N; I'm pretty sure for realistic X (e.g. 6 months in jail?) and N (huge), the proper punishment is d…

Easy now Rorschach, would you really want to live in a society like this? I could imagine finding out my cousin got murdered because he didn’t realize he was selling old iPhones that were stolen with a plan like this. This is comic book levels of absurdity and extremism.

It's called Saudi Arabia. (Okay, well, you don't get executed there; your hand just gets chopped off.) Some people do want to trade freedom/rights for safety, yes. Most people, even, going by history and the state of the world today.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This will absolutely work. My friend is from China, but lives here in the US. Most of her friends and family are still back in China. We communicate primarily over iMessage, but also on WeChat. About 2 years ago I sent her a video about the Tiananmen Square protests over WeChat by mistake - I meant to send it over iMessage. The next day she called me, really mad; her WeChat account was shut down, without explanation,…

> About 2 years ago I sent her a video about the Tiananmen Square protests over WeChat by mistake Absolutely insane that you would even think to do this to a Chinese national. Good job they are in the US. Could have been far worse for their family back in China. Unbelievable.

Oh so the problem is OP and not the Chinese government then.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#299
post #10

Honestly. This is a pretty good advertisement for Apple. I appreciate the effort that they've put into making my device less valuable to thiefs.

Or plenty of android brands too.

After a hard reset my phone requires that a Samsung or Google account that was previously signed in on the phone be used to gain access.

Kind of annoying cause I used a temp account on a Samsung tablet and now I can't get access to it after a reset unless I take it to Samsung with proof of purchase and id.

Re: Things the guys who stole my phone have texted me to try to get me to unlock it

#300
post #10

Honestly. This is a pretty good advertisement for Apple. I appreciate the effort that they've put into making my device less valuable to thiefs.

These days, it's not worth it to steal an iPhone. It's a useless brick. That Apple knows where it's at.

Then are so many iPhones stolen every day? They're not just being thrown in the bin
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